US prof: Aviation cities to take off
Print Edition
Clutching a pile of design sketches and watching aircraft fly overhead, American professor John H. Kasarda is mapping out China’s first aerotropolis — an aviation-oriented city.
Kasarda, a professor at the University of North Carolina, developed what he calls the aerotropolis theory. The expert in aviation economics is now a consultant, helping Zhengzhou, capital city of Henan Province in central China, build itself into an aviation-oriented metropolis.
Kasarda says that in the future, cities will be oriented around a central airport. Around that airport will be clusters of aviation-linked businesses and related residential developments, representing another step in globalization.
Early this year, Zhengzhou was approved as the nation’s first air economic zone by the State Council, China’s Cabinet. Now it’s on a fast track of transitioning from a railway economy to an aerotropolis.
The construction of a modern aerotropolis covering 356 square kilometers is underway. Zhenzhou Xinzheng International Airport is at the center.
Guo Gengmao, secretary of the Henan provincial committee of the Communist Party of China, has recommended Kasarda’s book, “Aerotropolis: The Way We’ll Live Next,” to the province’s 2 million officials.
“What attracts me the most is the understanding by Zhengzhou City and Henan Province government leaders of the potential the aerotropolis model has for their region and their strong will to move forward in applying the model,” Kasarda said.
He first learned about Zhengzhou and its economic potential when doing research on China four years ago, but it was only relatively recently that he appreciated the city’s dynamism and promise.
Dubbed “Super Ka” by local media, he has become a bit of a local celebrity. He said he feels like the hero of his favorite movie, “Up In The Air” — a frequent business flyer who spends most of his time traveling.
At this time he is focusing exclusively on Zhengzhou and its Airport Comprehensive Experimental Zone. He praised the city’s history, culture, labor force and its easy transport connections with other parts of China.
Zhengzhou has a great location advantage, since it takes only around an hour and a half to travel by air to two-thirds of China’s cities that contain three fifth’s of the nation’s population.
Worldwide, aerotropolises such as Hong Kong, Amsterdam, Chicago and Dubai have become significant economic engines, according to Kasarda.
Despite the lackluster world economy, enthusiasm for developing aertropolises is high in China.
Statistics from the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) show that the number of airports nationwide will increase to 244 by the end of 2020, 61 more than in 2012.
Altogether, 54 air economic zones are planned around the country, according to a 2012 CAAC report.
“Aerotropolis development is more like a marathon than a hundred-meter dash,” Karsada said. He advises city planners that achieving the goal requires 1 percent vision and 99 percent hard work.
“With intelligent planning and dedicated efforts, Zhengzhou has a real opportunity to get its aerotropolis right, and in so doing, generate a remarkably positive economic impact on the city, the province, the nation, and perhaps surrounding countries,” Kasarda said.
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